double the trouble
by tentendeservedbetter
Summary: Twoshot / ShikaTema and InoSai What was supposed to be a short trip to the Yamanaka Flower Shop to get his girlfriend something to remind her of home ends with Shikamaru agreeing to go on a double date with Ino and Sai to help his friend have a successful relationship. And Temari, not seeing the big deal of double dates, agrees.


"C'mon Shikamaru! Don't you want to help me?"

"Not really," the man admitted with a low groan, balancing his chin on top of his hand, glancing away from his blonde friend that stood directly across from him over the counter.

"Ughhhh!" The blonde crossed her arms over her chest. Her piercing blue eyes quickly shifted towards their third companion that stood beside him, and her pout deepened, and she pleaded, "How about you Choji? Why don't you come with us?"

"And risk being the fifth wheel?" Choji scoffed, taking another potato chip from the bowl that stood between the three on the counter. "No thanks."

"You can bring someone else!" She replied, a sly smirk growing on her face. "What about that Karui girl, hm? I thought you were already making the moves on her-"

"N-no way, Ino!" Choji nearly choked out, with his mouth being full, and took a moment to properly swallow the food in his mouth. Shikamaru smirked slightly as red started spreading on his friend's ear, threatening to leak to his face. "We haven't been on a proper date yet, there's no way I'd take her to have a date with you two!"

"What?!" Ino exclaimed, her eyebrows pulling into a frown. "You've known her for years dude! How long is it going to take for you to ask her out!"

"Leave him alone, Ino," Shikamaru interjected, slipping his hand to the bowl. "Unlike you, Choji likes to take his time when it comes to relationships."

"Please, I don't want him to be like you and have a decade long slow burn," Ino retorted, waving her hand to dismiss him. "I'm surprised you and Temari never dated sooner, you two were always together before the war. I should have swept her up from you when I had the chance."

"That was because-" Shikamaru started, ready to ignore whatever nonsense she might say next, but Ino beat him to it.

"_I had to escort her through the village_," Ino mocked, deepening her voice to mimic his, and Choji grinned, holding back his laughter. "_And we ran the Chunin Exams. It was such a drag."_

"Fuck off," Shikamaru grumbled, cringing internally at how familiar those words sounded. "And you better be nicer to me if you want me to do this favour."

_What a drag,_ he thought mindlessly as Ino stuck her tongue out childishly, attempting to coax a reaction out of him. What was supposed to be a quick professional trip to the Yamanaka Flower Shop to pick up a gift quickly dissolved into a hangout with his close friends and old teammates. Ino was manning the store, idly arranging a flower basket for a client at the front counter, while Choji had been passing by from the convenience store and decided to say hi to them.

It hasn't been that long since they last hung out with one another- but as they grew older and older, it became more and more seldom, to the point that when they do manage to be in the same vicinity, they spent hours and hours discussing nonsense. Ino would often times bring up the past a lot more, especially in comparison to how they live now, and as of late, the conversations have been turning to relationship therapy - particularly for Ino, who had finally asked Sai out on a date and has been restless about the relationship since.

If this were the old Shikamaru, he wouldn't have given her the time of day, blaming her dilemmas on her being, well, a stereotypical annoying girl- but time has worn out his mind where he was much more understanding, and now, he found himself seeking out Ino's company and thoughts, finding that out of all of his friends, she was the one who changed the least. War and death haven't deterred her from being honest and kind; and the optimism she and Choji held were good for his cynical heart.

Currently, Ino talking about her love affairs was no different from the last. Except this time, Ino was begging them for a favour she never asked of them before.

"Why do you even want to do a double date with us anyways?" Choji perused between bites. "Can't you ask Hinata or someone?"

"Can't I have a double- or triple- date with my two best boy friends?" Ino asked, flashing that sweet little smile when she was trying to sway someone her way. Shikamaru and Choji, who were completely immune to the girl's charms, simply glanced at each with an eyebrow raised, always suspicious of her intentions.

She let out a low, withdrawn sigh at their silent exchange.

"Alright, alright," Ino mumbled, leaning on her arms slightly, the tips of her lips slightly turned upside down. "I feel like I haven't really been connecting with Sai."

He stared at her, expecting her to continue, but she just started fidgeting with a single potato chip between her fingertips. "What does that mean?"

"Like," she slurred, glancing around slightly, as if conflicted on what to say. Her eyes flitted around the room, no other customers in sight, and she turned towards the door leading into the rest of her home, listening for a second. Once she was satisfied with the drone of the soap opera that played on the TV deeper in the living room, a sign her mother was far enough to not eavesdrop, she lean closer over the counter towards them.

_Oh boy_, Shikamaru groaned, knowing that she must have done something to warrant this type of secrecy.

"Well, we're not technically boyfriend-girlfriend, right," Ino started, her voice low, glancing between the men.

"Yeah…"

"Like, we've been on a few dates here and there, but it's just casual, nothing serious-"

"Yeah, we get it," Shikamaru cut through, not wanting her to ramble on. "What's your point?"

"It still feels like we're not connecting emotionally or on the same level," Ino huffed, annoyed at her friend's lack of indulging in details. Temari is exactly like that- no wonder the two get along so well. They were on the same spectrum but on opposite sides. "Like, Sai is very nice to be around and he's really nice to me and he's interesting and I love I can say anything I want when I'm around him. But it just feels like something is off? Like, I feel comfortable, but it feels like there's a wall between us whenever we talk?"

"Well, it hasn't even been that long since you two started going out," Shikamaru replied, shaking his head. "It sounds pretty normal for a new relationship."

"Besides, Sai isn't really an open guy, remember?" Choji added a bit more softly than their friend, almost sage-like. "It took him a long time to even get around hanging out with us without feeling the need to keep his guard up; he just might need time warming up to dating you. You're kind of a handful for guys like him."

Shikamaru smiled at the little jab, and Ino shook her head intensely, while saying, "Well, I didn't want to wait around! So a few days ago, we had sex so I could figure out whether we had that emotional connection-"

"Wait, you guys did what!" Choji exclaimed, and Ino quickly shushed him.

"Not so loud dumbass," Ino hissed, glancing towards the doorway to her home. "And it's not like I haven't done it before- it's not a big deal."

"I don't think that's the issue," Shikamaru replied, starting to feel his pant pockets for a lighter. After what Ino is going to indulge them with, he's going to need a smoke, he could feel it. "I'm surprised you guys didn't do it on the first date."

"We could've, but waiting makes it better," Ino replied with a smirk. "How's it like being a fucking maiden, huh Shikamaru?"

"But if you feel like you weren't connecting with the guy before, why'd you sleep with him?" Choji finally asked. "Wouldn't it be better if you had gotten to know him a bit more. Like...wouldn't it be better?"

He started to gesture with his hands, a sort of weird back and forth movement to emphasise the better part, and Shikamaru just put his hand on his forehead, massaging one side with his thumb.

Oh yeah. He _definitely_ needs a smoke after this.

"Oh please, you could sleep with a stranger and have a good time," Ino shook her head, dismissing his insinuation. "And I technically connected with him...well, I would say we connected really well-"

"I don't want to know how sleeping with Sai is like," Shikamaru interrupted, gritting his teeth. He already has to see Sai naked one too many times at the onsen, he doesn't need to know what he does with his dick whenever he's trying to relax in the same vicinity as the man.

"I'm pretty sure he's better than you," Ino snapped, annoyed with the commentary. "At least I know he's better kisser than you. Temari told me all about your first kiss and how you-"

"Ino, just keep going," Choji sighed, physically placing an arm between them so as to stop the beginning of endless bickering.

Curse Ino and her sharp nose. No wonder she was Konoha's go-to shinobi for gathering intelligence; her personality is well suited for the field-work. Not even Temari, who had trained under Suna's harsh disciplinary training, who would be ready to bite her tongue off before she gave away any secrets, could escape the copious amounts of drinks Ino would bring to one of the many nights out with the girls.

"Alright, jeez," Ino sighed. "I slept with him to figure out if there was any other chemistry between us. And I feel like there is some sort of emotional chemistry, but it's hard to tell when you can't even talk without it feeling fake."

"Okay, you have problems connecting to the guy," Shikamaru replied. "But what does that have to do with us going on a date with you two?"

"Well, Sai tends to be more...open in a more...friendly group setting," Ino said slowly, thinking of the words to explain her thought. "And I feel like he'd feel more comfortable being in more of a group setting with me for a bit, you know. On missions and stuff, it's easier to get to know him because he's with other people he knows. So maybe we can do the same, but in a more romantic dinner setting?"

"You don't even sound like you believe what you're saying right now," Shikamaru duly noted, while Ino groaned, planting her face into his arms.

"Where were you even thinking about going?" Choji asked, curious now, the talk of dinner piqued his interest.

"I don't know, maybe Korean Barbecue or something?" Ino mumbled, face in her arms still, now embarrassed having to explain why she wanted a double date.

"If you're paying, then I'll definitely come!" Choji immediately exclaimed happily, but Ino shook her head.

"Nah, it's okay, it's a stupid idea anyway," Ino sighed, finally lifting her head up, a dead look on her face. Ino continued, solemnly, "By the way, Shikamaru, what were you looking for again?"

Ino rarely behaved this way over a person, much less thought about ways to get to know them with the help of her friends. She really didn't care for a second opinion- and rarely did she need it. She was a people's person after all; she knew how to make someone trust in her within a few minutes of meeting them, getting more details than even she bargained for. To see her lament like this made Shikamaru uncomfortable.

And that's the last thing he wants to be right now.

He was having a nice day, and for it to end with Ino being a puddle of despair was not on his "not troublesome day" list.

"Fine," Shikamaru finally sighed, holding the lighter in his pocket firmly. "I'll do it. When do you want to go out?"

"Really!" Ino immediately had colour on her face, a smile gracing her lips, and her blue eyes twinkled with delight. Another feeling settled in his stomach, an uneasy one, and now Shikamaru partly regretted agreeing to Ino's intent. "How about we do it this Friday? Temari should still be in town by then, right?"

"Yeah, she's leaving on Saturday," Shikamaru replied, rubbing the back of his neck. She was still an ambassador to Konoha from Suna, thought now she stays around much longer than before. Still, the idea of their last night before she leaves for home is going to be spent with Ino and Sai is…

_Such a drag…_

"You wanna come too Choji?" Ino asked, with a little thumbs up. "I'll pay for your dishes if you want!"

"I can't, Kakashi got me booked for a mission that weekend," Choji groaned, the missed opportunity of having free barbecue in his stomach making him pout.

"Don't worry, we'll go on another one when you come back!" She said, her mood much lively than before. "Just the three of us!"

"Ino, you're a godsend!" Choji said, humouring her, and Shikamaru just shook his head, feeling a slight delight from their energy.

"Ino! It's past 9, why haven't you closed up shop!"

The high voice of her mother called from the door, and Mrs. Yamanka opened the door, peering through. Having only Ino living in the house must have added a few grey hairs in her brown tresses; they were more evident when her hair was pulled back as it was now.

The moment she saw her daughter's friends, her frown immediately turned into a smile, "Oh! Hello boys!"

"Hello," the men replied in unison, and Shikamaru could feel his back straightening itself.

"Mom! Calm down!" Ino grumbled, crossing her arms. She started to make her way out of the counter towards the front door. "I'm just helping Shikamaru get some stuff!"

"Really? What is Yoshino looking for this time?" Her mother asked kindly, leaning into the doorframe with a gentle hand.

"It's not for her," Shikamaru replied, slightly abashed, all eyes on him peering for his reason making him uncomfortable. He caught what he said, and quickly fumbled out, "I'm just looking for some plants for myself."

"Uh huh," Ino rolled her eyes, a sly smirk on her face. She looked at her mother, and quickly dismissed her, "We'll be fine! You can go back inside now!"

"Sometimes I wish you didn't have such a mouth," her mother replied with a sigh, as she retreated back, unbothered by her daughter's request.

Once she was out of sight, Ino continued, "So what type of flowers does Temari like? Did you guys get into a fight and you want to make up? Maybe something to get you laid?"

"You're so-" Shikamaru scoffed, pressing his tongue against the roof of his mouth, not wanting to give Ino the satisfaction of annoying him. "I'm just looking for any plants from Suna, that's all."

"That's the worst place for plants; you do know that right? It's in the middle of the desert?"

"I'm aware of that," he replied sarcastically, glancing away. He didn't want to admit it, but he continued, trying to repress his cheeks from blushing, "Temari's always saying she misses the desert every time she's working here, so I thought maybe I should get her something to remind her of home."

"Well aren't you a soft guy, Shikamaru," Ino squealed happily, both hands on her cheeks as she made kissy faces to the man.

"Temari really softened you up, huh," Choji cooed as well, joining Ino in mocking him, a grin on his face.

"Just show me what I can get so I can leave already," he grumbled, while Ino walked towards the other side of the shop, where there were more plants than flowers.

"The only thing I could think about are cacti," Ino replied as the two followed her, looking at the small array of plants that sat on rows of shelves along the wall. She gestured to the small cacti that were lined in columns, all in various shapes and sizes. "How about it?"

"Doesn't Gaara grow them?" Choji asked, and Shikamaru nodded along.

"Yeah, and they're way bigger. I don't think she'd want one this small," Shikamaru replied, glancing between them. "Maybe something that's bigger and less...spikey?"

"Then what about some succulents?" Ino nodded, gesturing beside the cactus to various sized plants, with thicker looking leaves that it almost looked plastic, a few smooth and a few with subtle spikes.

"Aren't these cactuses?" Shikamaru asked, pointing out the spikier ones and Ino scoffed.

"Cacti," she corrected him. "And no; cacti have areoles where the spikes come from. Succulents do not."

"Plants have boobs?" Choji asked and Shikamaru had to stifle a laugh.

"I can make a succulent bowl with a few of these," she ignored her friend's comment, unfazed. "They're expensive because we import them, but I'll give you the "Friends of Ino" discount."

"Can you add it with the "Old Teammates" discount?" Shikamaru pressed with a quirked smile, and Ino rolled her eyes.

"I guess since you are doing me that favour," she said, as they continued on to choosing a few of the succulents for Ino to arrange.

After they found an appropriate few Ino planted them in a bowl, Shikamaru and Choji having to get their hands a bit dirty to tease out the dirt from the roots and replant them in the dirt, before placing it gently in a cute white paper bag with the Yamanaka Flower Shop logo on it.

"Now, the good thing is that these things are low maintenance," Ino explained as she rang up the price. Shikamaru took his wallet out, not wanting to argue over the price. "So when Temari's not in Konoha, you don't really need to watch them. They just need to be in a sunny place, but if they look orangey, make sure you keep them out of the sun. They don't need that much water, but do it at least once a week, and make sure the soil is actually moist."

"Uh huh," Shikamaru said mindlessly for the tenth time during her explanation.

"So what time are you two free," Ino continued, as she quickly typed on the register.

"Let's try for 8," Shikamaru replied, and Ino nodded along.

"Text me on my cell to confirm, alright?" Ino said, and handed him his change.

With that, Ino walked them out of the store and bit them a goodnight, with Choji walking with Shikamaru towards Temari's apartment, it being en route to their way home. The two men eventually separated, and Shikamaru carefully made his way to see his girl, clutching onto the paper bag with shaky hands.

* * *

_He's rubbing off on me_, she thought as she laid on her bed, glancing over to the unfinished paperwork that laid sprawled on her desk.

Always the timely one, Temari was better at keeping up with deadlines compared to their siblings (but not amazingly better), but lately, she's been a bit of a bum whenever she was in Konoha. Times have changed; the stuff she has to look over and monitor aren't as high risk as before. Now it was just about maintaining peace.

It could be, though, that Shikamaru's procrastination has been seeping into her work habits. Looking at documents and organizing data all the time for the Shinobi Alliance is as boring as what managing data is supposed to be like. And besides, this trip is technically a half vacation for her…

_I want to say that it's a drag, but then that would confirm I'm spending too much time with the guy_, she thought as she rolled off of the bed, and stumbled towards the desk. She wasn't expecting anyone, there wasn't anything interesting to watch on the TV, and she already cooked and ate dinner. She could always call Shikamaru over, but she didn't want to call him at this time and give him any ideas.

_I'm way too tired to do anything,_ she continued, stretching her arms out as she took a glance over the paperwork. After glancing over the letters indignitely, Temari picked up all the documents and pens and started to make her way towards the bedroom door, towards the living space.

She'd much rather watch the latest Konoha soap than read. Maybe it was Yoshino who was rubbing off on her.

It might do her some good to have some background noise while she did her work- there was something about the silence of her apartment that was driving her insane. She often felt like this since she started to live in Konoha regularly; there was no point for an ambassador of Suna to live in a hotel room if she spent more than a month in the village. It saved money, and besides, it felt like a second home to her anyways.

Still, sometimes whenever she woke up in the morning in Konoha, she missed the bleary sunlight of the desert sun rather than the subdued ones of Konoha that was always covered in clouds at this time of year and the sounds of the shifting sand made by the wind.

As Temari settled down on the floor in front of the couch, all her items neatly arranged on the coffee table, she turned on the television, leaving it on the first channel that played something she could tolerate, and decreased the volume with the remote until it was more like a buzz.

As she tried to concentrate on her work, however, she unintentionally started to glance more and more at what was happening on the screen- until she completely abandoned the documents and started to stare at the show playing on the screen, completely absorbed.

"_Todoho! But I thought you died!"_ The young woman on the screen cried as streams of tears stained her face, her face looking too perfect for its own good.

"_Of course not, my love_," the young man replied valiantly as he embraced the woman in her arms. "_While you're still alive, I'll always be there for you!"_

"What the fuck?" Temari mumbled to herself at the dialogue as the couple kissed, the kiss being filmed from multiple angles and slowing down, a song playing in the background as they showed the kiss in multiple ways. "Why'd she take him back? He had multiple affairs and didn't even tell her about them until he got caught."

"I didn't know you were a fan of this show," a raspy voice said suddenly with a squeak of the door, and Temari quickly got on her feet to look at the front door, immediately, a hand on her kunai that she secretly stashed along her waist sash at all times.

She let herself breathe, the tension leaving her body to be more springy when she realised who it was, and started to spin the kunai lightly with a finger.

"Can't you knock?" Temari asked as she walked up to the man as he was taking off his sandals. She caught a strong scent coming from him, and she immediately stopped in her tracks. "Did you try to cover up the cigarette with cologne? Because you failed."

"Damn, you caught me," Shikamaru replied half-heartedly, holding a white bag with one hand as he walked in, glancing over to the television with furrowed eyebrows. "Did my mom introduce you to 'Love Struck'?"

"That's the name of the show?" Temari almost gagged at the title. "It's the most annoying thing in the world."

"Hey, it has a big following," he replied with a crooked smile- his cute crooked smile. "And it's great if you want to lose brain cells."

"Well, I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Temari replied.

She had recently given Shikamaru a key to the apartment, finding it annoying to have him knock on the door during odd hours of the day to see her or needing to deliver some things his mom made for her when Temari was out on a meeting. He's been really pushing the extent of the key, finding that he had made himself too much at home and showing up unannounced a lot more often than he had even before they were dating.

"Can't you let me know when you're coming over next time?" Temari asked, allowing him to enter. Thought, she truly didn't mind, she quite enjoyed having him over most of the time, she still needed to keep him on his toes. They've only been together like this for half a year. "You're not my fiancé to just drop in like this."

"You're the one who gave me the key in the first place," Shikamaru shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "Is this really how you greet your boyfriend after not seeing him in a few days?"

"Should I make you tea and massage your back while I'm at it?" Temari asked with a grin, mocking him as she saw the tips of his ears turn red, the latter comment on his mind.

She walked towards the kitchen to boil a pot of water. He wasn't going to leave anytime soon, she knew for sure. "Did you eat yet?"

"Yeah; I was at Ino's place with Choji," Shikamaru managed to reply over the open counter across from Temari, placing the white bag on the side. He found his voice, and continued evenly, "Had something to eat while I was there."

"Is that why you have flowers for me?" She asked with a smile, not bothering to look up.

She could see Shikamaru shuffle slightly at being caught, a slight fluster look on his face, as he asked, "How d'you know?"

"The logo," she said, pointing at the Yamanaka's logo on the front of the bag. She noticed it the moment she saw it in his hands, with it's bubbly letters and pink font, and a cute little boar mascot drawn on. "What's the special occasion?"

"Do I need a special reason to get you something?" Shikamaru asked, as he slid the bag between them. "I thought you like these kind of things."

"I don't mind them, but I don't think I've ever told you what my favourite flower is," Temari said. It wasn't the first thing that would come up in conversation, and it was not like she expected to receive anything like it. Flowers were frivolous things for the sand kunoichi- but get a few poison plants, then Temari could list a few she would need.

"Is it cacti?" He guessed and Temari shook her head, a small grin on her face.

"Did you just say that because I'm from the desert? They're not even a type of flower," Temari replied as she let the tea leaves steep in the pot of water.

"Roses?" Shikamaru continued with a smirk, seeing it as a sort of guessing game, intently looking at Temari for anything that would give him the answer.

"No," Temari said, holding the gaze, not giving him anything as she slowly blinked.

"Violets? Daffodils? Narcissus'?"

"You sure know a lot of flowers for a guy who doesn't care about these things."

"I'm friends with Ino," Shikamaru scoffed, unflattered. "She's always telling us everything about plants and flowers like we care about it."

"It's not a bad thing," Temari hummed. "At least you know something about romance. Did you learn to be this romantic from Love Struck?"

"Very funny," Shikamaru replied, leaning his head on a prompt up hand, tilting his head slightly. "Are your favourite flowers expensive?"

"Perhaps, but you wouldn't be able to get them for me anyways," Temari replied, pouring the tea into two cups gently. "They're found in specific places. We have a few of them in Suna, actually."

"..." Shikamaru thought about it for a moment, eyes staring at Temari still, and Temari didn't back down, taking a sip from the tea, raising her eyebrows.

"Do they come from the ground?"

"Technically," Temari replied. "But it would be obvious if I tell you."

"Then they live in water," Shikamaru confirmed with a nod, as he raised an eyebrow. "Water lilies?"

Temari took another long sip from the cup, the bitterness a film over her tongue and filled her body with warmth, silence her answer.

"Yeah," she said nonchalantly, as if this were a trivial matter. She explained in a dull tone, not wanting to seem like the sentimental type, "The closest thing we could get to a fresh garden was the greenhouses for medicine. We have a freshwater lily pond there. My mom liked taking me and Kankuro there sometimes."

Shikamaru gave her a soft look, a glint of interest in his eyes, for Temari rarely ever talks about her childhood, those being rare and intimate moments. He didn't press on though, instead raising the cup to his lips, waiting for her to continue.

Something about the way he watched her when she talked made her feel comfortable, as he had often made her feel before, and the words tumble out of her mouth without her realising, "Sometimes she had a vase of water lilies in the living room. Just to add a little freshness in the room."

There was silence, a comfortable silence, that settled between them, neither of them saying anything more than they needed to.

"Well, I don't think we have space for a pond here," Shikamaru spoke first, gesturing mindlessly around the apartment. "But I did buy you something else that might make this place feel like home."

Temari's curiosity piqued as she glanced over the bag, and glanced over to Shikamaru, who continued to enjoy his tea and had picked up the daily newspaper that Temari had left on the counter, scanning over the front page. She gingerly took the paper bag, surprised at its weight as she placed a hand underneath, and peered in.

She felt her heart squeeze lightly as she reached in, taking out the bowl gently and observed it. It was a small little terrain of succulents of various sizes, from short and leafy to tall and sharp, with various colours from pale greens to dusky purples, all fitting together into a beautiful mismatched puzzle. Temari felt a small smile grew on her face, the plants being so rare to see and paling compared to Konoha's luscious forests, but something homely emitted from the plants as she admired them.

From the corner of her eye she could see Shikamaru trying to watch her reaction without looking up from the newspaper, attempting to hide how antsy he was for her response.

Rarely does Shikamaru get nervous; he was always a hundred percent sure of everything he did, rarely thinking twice of his actions, knowing the outcome from a mile away. And although this arrogance is more apparent when he's planning, when it comes to Temari, he tends to let his guard down and she knew his habits when he was nervous or something bothered him. He would rub his index and thumb together, always his right hand, like he was rolling a cigarette between them. He did it even before he picked up the smoking habit; now it was more obvious because he would usually has one in hand.

"Who gave you this idea?" Temari asked as she turned the bowl in her hand, setting it down. "I know you didn't come up with this yourself."

"Can't you give me some sort of credit?" Shikamaru said, letting out a sigh. "And I can be romantic when I want to be."

"Right," Temari smirked. "But plants wouldn't be the first thing on your mind. Did you choose these out yourself?"

"Does it matter? I got some help," Shikamaru insisted.

"And did you make this whole arrangement as well?" Temari asked, an eyebrow raised. Shikamaru sucked a side of his cheek in before releasing it, trying not to break face, but Temari's gaze broke him. "Or did Ino make it."

"Troublesome...She did," Shikamaru finally admitted, mumbling slightly. "But I actually did help put them in and everything. And I did decide on which ones I thought you'd like."

Temari nodded along, content with his words, and she gazed at the bowl a bit longer before placing in on the corner of the kitchen, near the window sill where the sun would peer through and light up the room at high noon. She twisted the bowl a few times, getting it to a corner that would be the most appealing in the room, and she stared at it, not looking at Shikamaru.

"I love it," she finally whispered, looking over her shoulders to him, and he looked up to meet her eye. She walked out of the kitchen around to the counter where he was still leaning on his arm, keeping the distance between them small, and cautiously, yet gently, placed a hand over his arm. He inhaled sharply, and she could feel his body go rigid at the touch, before relaxing, his eyes locked on her. "Thank you."

He was expecting something, she knew it, and as she looked up to him, she could see his throat raise up and down, swallowing saliva, the red from his ears starting to creep to his cheeks.

Cute, Temari thought, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction. He started to lean in, craning his neck, and Temari immediately placed a finger over his lips tenderly, smiling sweetly.

"By the way, text Ino for me and say I said thanks," Temari said softly, patting his chest with her other hand. Shikamaru stared at her blankly, blinking a few times, digesting what she said, and now he was more lost than anything.

It really is too easy to make him this way. She couldn't help it- it was too cute.

"You could tell her yourself this Friday," Shikamaru replied half-dazed, without skipping a beat, but stopped on his last word hard, as if suddenly waking up from nap.

"This Friday?" Temari asked, her softer voice dropped as quickly as it came, catching his jaw tightening as he clenched his teeth, and she retracted her hand from it's place on his arm. She placed it on the counter instead, but she didn't move away from him. "What's happening this Friday?"

"What a drag," he mumbled under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ino wants us to go on a double date with her and Sai."

"Who? Us?" Temari repeated, taken aback. Then she started to rack her brain through to remember who this Sai fellow was.

Sai...Sai…right.

Now she remembers who he is. Ino pointed him out one time while they were out in the town, and she had seen him in passing often. She could feel her face break into a frown- Ino was dating that guy?

"I know it's a drag," Shikamaru started with a groan. "But she's practically begged me to do this. She's saying something about how she thinks being with other people would help him open up to her, or something."

"Since when did she need help with people?" Temari asked, slightly bewildered, trying to imagine Ino begging Shikamaru of all people for a favour for something so trivial.

She was more surprised that he agreed to it, if anything. It seemed way out of his way, despite him being much more receptive to people's requests.

"And you agreed without asking me?" Temari continued after Shikamaru shrugged.

"I assumed you wouldn't care," Shikamaru replied nonchalantly.

"That's a bad habit of yours," Temari said. "Assuming things."

"Well, it's not like I really want to do something like a double date," Shikamaru said, an eyebrow raised. "But I'm doing it because she's my friend and I somewhat care. I thought you would feel the same way."

"I do feel that way," Temari explained, frowning slightly as she thought of the words to describe what she felt. "But I don't know if us having a dinner with those two is going to be...the best way for Ino to get what she wants."

"Trust me, I tried telling her, but she thinks it'll be good," Shikamaru replied. His eyes flitted over her face, before asking, "Do you want me to tell her you're busy Friday?"

Temari bit the bottom of her lips gently, thinking for a moment. She was never one for anything of this sort. A date is a date; why double it with friends? If anything it sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Particularly with that Sai guy. She has spoken to him a few times, none of which were bad, but according to Shikamaru, was much more civil than he had ever seen from him. He had a knack for being blunt with no filter or shame, his social skills being skewed from being raised as a Root agent from a young age, yet he was so quiet and observant. The idea of the overconfident Ino being with a guy with the social skills of a paintbrush was odd and sounded like a recipe for disaster.

Thought she would have been more on edge if Shikamaru hadn't accepted this proposition, and the fact that he already did means that Shikamaru at least expects it to be alright. And it wasn't as if she had any sort of plans that night, but it would be nice to spend it with Shikamaru.

Though, Ino has always been kind to Temari, giving her advice without hesitation when she was too embarrassed about anything romantic with Shikamaru and needed a second opinion. She definitely owed her this date, in the least.

Besides; how bad could it be?

"No," she said lightly. "I'm fine with it."

"..." Shikamaru stared at her for a bit, waiting for her to continue, but when Temari didn't say anything more, he asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Temari replied nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders. "It may be fun, for all I know."

"I didn't think you were the type to be fine with it," Shikamaru grinned slightly.

"And I didn't think that you were the type to buy a girl plants," she replied just as quickly, gesturing to the succulent bowl. "But you still manage to surprise me."

"Is that a good thing?" He asked, and he suddenly raised a hand to shortly trail up along her free arm to lure her closer, taking Temari by surprise by the sudden initiation. Usually she would be the one to start anything, an unspoken habit between them.

"Why are you asking something so troublesome?" Temari asked with a light hearted chuckle, as she extracted herself from his hand and started to walk backwards, leaving only her fingertips touching his. She glanced over to the television, the ending theme song in the background playing. "You want to watch this trash with me? It's back-to-back episodes."

"And fry my brain?" He asked with faux-excitement, following her as she walked towards the couch, not breaking away from her look. "I would love to."


End file.
